Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Ubud, Bali

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Ubud, Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Ubud, Bali $1,353

A couple spends around $2,102 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,297 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,102
Ubud, Bali $2,297

A family of three spends $3,000 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,241 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,000
Ubud, Bali $3,241

Playa del Carmen is about 11% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 0% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$201

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

236.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.21 MX$817

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

26.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 MX$217

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

106.32%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.0

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

40.46%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 MX$24.79

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

-22.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 MX$15.24

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

1.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 MX$56.6

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

15.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MX$91.2

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

13.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-6.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$40.95

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

1.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 MX$27.32

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

25.42%

Eggs

$2.49 MX$45.99

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

15.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 MX$139

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

-57.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 MX$147

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

110.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$232

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

5.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.3

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

-22.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 MX$26.37

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

-10.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 MX$48.37

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

13.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.49

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

12.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.38

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

13.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.74

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

-14.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.01

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

14.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.18

$0.53 Rp 9,509

126.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 MX$78.7

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

86.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 MX$185

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

-54.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.41

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

-34.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 MX$49.17

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

-10.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.73

$0.23 Rp 4,112

130.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.51 MX$508

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

209.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 MX$90.6

$0.47 Rp 8,466

942.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 MX$63.5

$0.43 Rp 7,737

697.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 MX$99.4

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

-1.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.76

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

74.70%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.2K MX$391.0K

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

-11.39%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.0K MX$425.3K

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

-29.79%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$85.4 MX$1,577

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

6.71%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.46 MX$434

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

257.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.43 MX$525

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

52.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.2 MX$1,149

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

14.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

56.89%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 MX$94.3

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

20.00%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$201 MX$3,715

$493 Rp 8.9M

-59.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,947 MX$72.9K

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

-29.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.39 MX$820

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

-2.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.35 MX$764

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

18.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 MX$1,344

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

-6.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 MX$1,656

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

14.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 MX$18.1K

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

-13.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 MX$6,887

$673 Rp 12.1M

-44.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 MX$31.1K

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

-53.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 MX$20.2K

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

-35.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,949 MX$73.0K

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

45.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,137 MX$113.4K

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

173.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$738 MX$13.6K

$166 Rp 3.0M

343.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

13.78

-16.91%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$373 31%

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7% 80.5% $300

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5%

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2% 11.1% $29

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9% 46.8% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8% 23.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9% 4.6% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$72 6%

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6% 13.5% $9.8

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 76% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 343% higher in Playa del Carmen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $287 in Ubud, Bali – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

09:54 9:54 AM

22:54 10:54 PM

13 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

74,800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Ubud, Bali 17,260 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Ubud, Bali

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ubud, Bali is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,030 in Ubud, Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,353 in Ubud, Bali. That's a gap of about 12%.

Public transport costs about 209% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Ubud, Bali at $1,353. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.